Documentation and the Process Journal
| English | Chinese | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|
| documentation | 记录 | jì lù |
| process journal | 创作日志 | chuàng zuò rì zhì |
| lines of inquiry | 探究路径 | tàn jiū lù jìng |
Recording the journey
- Documentation 记录 records information and becomes a resource for the investigation.
- It takes many forms: images, notes, diagrams, material samples, and reflection.
- Documenting as you go captures thinking you would otherwise forget.
A sketchbook that records questions, experiments, and revisions over time is a...
A process journal documents the development of the work.
Select all forms documentation can take.
Images, notes, and samples are documentation; recording nothing is not.
The process journal
- A process journal 创作日志 (sketchbook) records questions, experiments, and revisions over time.
- It shows the development of the work, not just the finished pieces.
- It is the natural home for your evolving inquiry.
Good documentation habit or not?
Sort each as good documentation practice or not.
Match each term to its meaning.
Documentation = records; process journal = sketchbook; lines of inquiry = questions.
Lines of inquiry
- Documenting your lines of inquiry 探究路径 shows how the investigation developed.
- It makes the story of your thinking visible to a viewer.
- Consistent documentation makes writing the portfolio far easier.
It is better to document your process as you go than to reconstruct it at the end.
Ongoing documentation is honest and convincing.
The different questions and directions you explore are your ____ of inquiry.
Your lines of inquiry show how the investigation developed.
Keep the process journal as you go, not at the end. Trying to reconstruct your lines of inquiry after the work is finished is hard and looks fake. Regular, honest documentation of questions, experiments, and dead-ends is what makes a sustained investigation convincing.
A student's process journal shows: a first question, three material tests, a failed experiment, a note on why it failed, and a new direction. That visible chain of lines of inquiry makes the sustained investigation feel genuine — and makes the required writing almost write itself.
Documentation records the journey as a resource. A process journal captures questions, experiments, and revisions over time, showing development. Recording your lines of inquiry makes your thinking visible and makes writing the portfolio far easier. Do it as you go.